Wednesday March 4 Ag News

DAIRY STORE RELOCATION CELEBRATION IS MARCH 12

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Dairy Store has come a long way since it first opened as Varsity Dairy in 1917, when it served all-you-can-drink milk for a nickel to those who brought their own glass. In the 103 years since, the store has become locally famous for its ice cream, and soon will begin a new chapter in its history.

On March 12, the Dairy Store will celebrate its grand reopening in a new space at 114 Food Industry Complex on East Campus. The renovated, larger space offers more seating, with a view of Legacy Plaza; a glimpse into Nebraska’s dairy industry; and, of course, the store’s famous ice cream, as well as locally produced meats and cheeses. The grand reopening, which is open to the public, will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Attendees can receive a free scoop of ice cream. The celebration includes remarks at 2:30 p.m. Parking is available near the building or along the East Campus Loop.

The new space is in the same building as before, but faces north toward the Nebraska East Union.

The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources partnered with Midwest Dairy to bring dairy farmers and production to the forefront of the new space. The store’s south entrance includes a mural featuring dairy products, a wall with dairy farming facts, a photo of a dairy cow and a video showcasing dairy farmers. Customers are encouraged to take photos in front of the mural and share them on social media using #UndeniablyDairy.

“The goal with this space is to bring dairy to life for customers, allowing them to connect to local farmers, learn fun facts about the dairy community, as well as share their own love for dairy with the selfie wall,” said Kris Bousquet, farmer relations manager with Midwest Dairy. “Dairy products enrich our lives with nutrition, but also offer an opportunity for indulgence, which can be celebrated in this new space.”

With more than 100,000 visitors per year to the Dairy Store, Midwest Dairy hopes customers leave with a deeper understanding and connection to Nebraska’s dairy community.

NEBRASKA’S OUTSTANDING DAIRY TRADITION
The Dairy Store processing facilities, which have long been popular with Dairy Store visitors, are also moving to a new location — the Food Processing Center on Nebraska Innovation Campus. 

Terry Howell, executive director of the center, has overseen the relocation of the processing facilities. Once the equipment has been moved, ice cream and cheese making in the new location could begin as soon as April 1, he said. As before, food science students will make the ice cream and learn about various aspects of the food processing industry during the experience.

“Food science students are getting exposed to what it takes to work in a food plant, what quality assurance looks like, what regulatory needs look like for food processing and how product development work in a real processing setting,” Howell said. “When they graduate, they are ideal candidates for jobs because they’ve already gotten to put their education into practice — they are pros.”

Once the new dairy plant is up and running, Howell said the plan is to capture video of how dairy products are made to share on the Dairy Store monitor. The video will allow Dairy Store visitors to hear from dairy farmers and university staff and students on the care that goes into producing milk, ice cream and cheeses.

“There are a lot of ways to grow the impact of the store and use it to support students, alumni and friends of the university,” Howell said. “It’s the front door to East Campus, an entry door to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and university for people from around the state.”



Soil Fertility Workshop Will Help Producers Maximize Profitability

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the ISU Extension and Outreach Harrison County office are hosting a soil fertility workshop March 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at the ISU Extension and Outreach Harrison County office, (304 East 7th St.).

The workshop will focus on interpreting soil test results to make more informed fertilizer decisions for both row crops and forage crops. The workshop will be led by Aaron Saeugling, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

“With lower commodity prices, many farmers are looking to trim costs,” said Saeugling. “For fertilizer, don’t simply trim costs, but rather selectively maximize economic returns to fertilizer expense by understanding how to interpret soil test results and how to use the results to make fertilizer recommendations.”

Even if you already have soil testing and recommendations hired out to an agribusiness, you can still gain a better understanding of how recommendations are made. This workshop will help you to decide where it makes the most sense to reduce fertilizer costs while improving farm income.

Topics will include the importance of soil testing and interpreting soil test results, calculating nutrient removal rates and understanding the odds of getting a return on a fertilizer investment.

Feel free to bring a copy of your soil test results. There is no cost to attend.

Pre-register by March 16 by contacting the ISU Extension and Outreach Harrison County office at 712-644-2105, or cpoliver@iastate.edu.



Iowa Crop Production Value Report

The production of Iowa’s field and miscellaneous crops was valued at $14.6 billion in 2019, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Crop Values summary. This was a 4 percent increase from 2018.

The value of corn for grain production totaled $9.82 billion, up 9 percent from the previous year. Iowa’s corn price averaged $3.80 per bushel, an increase of 21 cents from the last marketing year.

Down 7 percent from 2018, the value of soybean production was $4.34 billion, with production down 9 percent. Average prices increased 19 cents from the previous year to $8.65 per bushel.

Value of production increased from 2018 to 2019 for alfalfa hay and oats.



Pulled Pork Madness Nomination Period Opens Friday

Pulled Pork Madness is back for a third year, with Iowa restaurants going head-to-head for the best pulled pork sandwich.

The monthlong contest sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) mimics the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament and follows the same bracket-style narrowing process to get restaurants to the "Sweet 16," "Elite 8," "Final Four" and championship round.

However, in this case, it will be fans who determine the winner as they vote on the restaurant in the competition that they think serves the best pulled pork sandwich. The playoffs will be fast and furious, with voting deadlines of March 13, March 20, March 25, March 30 and April 2. The winner will be announced April 3.

Nominations can be submitted at https://www.iowapork.org/ starting at 5 a.m. Friday. For every round after that, votes can be cast via IPPA's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IowaPork/. Also, keep up with the contest on social media using the #PulledPorkMadness hashtag.

The "Sweet 16" bracket is planned to offer the top two picks in each of IPPA's eight districts.

"Pulled Pork Madness is simply a fun way to celebrate Iowa's pork while uncovering some amazing pulled pork sandwiches around the state," said Kelsey Sutter, marketing and programs director at IPPA. "Who doesn't love a good bracket competition?"

Along with bragging rights, the winning restaurant will receive $250 and a "Pulled Pork Madness" plaque.

Past winners of Pulled Pork Madness include Warehouse Barbecue Co. in Ottumwa (2019) and Moo's BBQ in Newton (2018).

In 2019, IPPA received nominations for 80 restaurants from nearly 1,150 respondents.



Pig Farmers Provide 40,000 Servings of Pork to Fight Food Insecurity in Kansas City

To kick off its national forum meeting, the pork industry announced today that nearly 40,000 servings of pork will be donated to Harvesters – The Community Food Network. The donation, made by Prairie Fresh® Pork on behalf of attendees at the industry’s annual meeting, will help fight food insecurity in the Kansas City area. It highlights farmer commitment to the We Care ethical principles, which include a focus on caring for their communities.

“Helping to fight food insecurity in our local communities and across the United States is important to all pig farmers,” said David Newman, president of the National Pork Board and a pig farmer representing Arkansas. “The donation allows us to live out our We Care commitment during Pork Forum while providing safe and nutritious pork to those in need right here in Kansas City.”

Harvesters serves a 26-county area, including Kansas City, where one in eight individuals is food insecure. Children are often the most in need of food, with one in six children in Harvesters’ service area being food insecure. Only 57% of food-insecure children qualify for federal nutrition programs, meaning that 43% of food-insecure children and their parents are ineligible for federal assistance.

“Our producers at Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods believe it’s important to support our communities,” said David Eaheart, senior director of communications and Prairie Fresh brand marketing at Seaboard Foods. “We are happy to make this donation on behalf of attendees of the National Pork Industry Forum, especially in Kansas City, where Prairie Fresh® Pork is headquartered.”



NPPC HERALDS SIGNING OF AG INSPECTORS BILL

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) thanks President Trump for signing into law on Tuesday legislation (S. 2107) that authorizes funding for 720 new agricultural inspectors at land, air and sea ports to prevent African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases (FAD) from entering the United States. Providing additional agricultural inspectors represents a top priority for NPPC.

"Ensuring we have enough agricultural inspectors at our borders is critical to maintaining a healthy U.S. swine herd," said NPPC President David Herring, a hog farmer from Lillington, N.C. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have done much to mitigate the risk to animal disease. Bolstered by this legislation, even more resources will be available to strengthen biosecurity at our borders. This is a victory for farmers, consumers and the American economy," he said.

"NPPC thanks Congressional leadership, led by Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) and Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), for their strong leadership on this issue, and President Trump for signing this essential bill into law. We look forward to working with Congress on appropriations to make sure CBP is fully funded to ensure the benefits of S. 2107 are fully realized," Herring added.

S. 2107 also authorizes 600 new agricultural technicians and 60 new agricultural canine teams.

The most likely path for a FAD to enter the country would be through the illegal transport of contaminated products. An outbreak of certain FADs would immediately close U.S. pork export markets, causing significant damage to farmers and consumers. NPPC continues to advocate for other FAD preparedness measures, including quickly establishing a U.S. Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank as provided for in the 2018 Farm Bill. The United States does not currently have access to enough vaccine to quickly contain and eradicate an FMD outbreak.



FAA Proposal Would Ground Drones for Many Farmers, Ranchers

The Federal Aviation Administration should revamp its drone proposal to provide flexibility to allow farmers and ranchers who cannot access the internet to continue using drones, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

America’s farmers and ranchers embrace technology that allows them to be more efficient, economical and environmentally aware. Drones are an important precision agriculture tool they use to manage their crops and livestock and make important business decisions, the organization pointed out in comments to the FAA on its drone-related advanced notice of proposed rulemaking.

“Today’s farmers and ranchers are using precision agricultural devices to make decisions that impact the amount of fertilizer a farmer needs to purchase and apply to the field, the amount of water needed to sustain the crop, and the amount and type of herbicides or pesticides the farmer may need to apply,” Farm Bureau said.

The two main problems with the proposal are: it would ground many drones that farmers and ranchers currently own that do not meet the rule’s specifications and it would prevent many farmers and ranchers from ever operating a drone because of a lack of access to broadband

Farm Bureau had several suggestions for improvement.

FAA’s proposal would require drones to connect to the internet and transmit their remote IDs. But on the 29% percent of farms and ranches without access to the internet, this would be impossible. And while Congress, the FCC and USDA have acknowledged this problem and are working to increase connectivity for precision agriculture equipment, the proposal fails to take this challenge into account.

“Requiring drones to connect to the internet and broadcast a signal would remove one of the newest tools in the toolbox for farmers and ranchers during a time when they have already seen a drastic 50% decline in net farm income in the last four years,” Farm Bureau said.

Farm Bureau is recommending an either/or approach that would allow the drone to send a remote ID signal through an internet connection if available or broadcast a signal if the internet is unavailable.

As for the limited remote ID requirement, Farm Bureau reiterated its call for FAA to provide an alternative method for operators to signal their location when the internet is not available. Another option is removing the requirement that the drone must connect to the internet since the drone must operate within 400 feet of the ground station and cannot operate beyond visual-line-of-sight under the limited remote ID requirement.

The proposal’s lack of definitions for “internet” and “sufficient signal strength and coverage” is also problematic.

“In rural areas where internet connections drastically fluctuate, drone operators need clarity on internet connection speeds that qualify for the standard and limited remote ID requirements,” Farm Bureau said.

The group’s final recommendation was that the FAA establish a position on its Drone Advisory Committee for an agriculture, forestry and rangeland representative.

“Farmers offer a unique perspective on their use of drones because they often operate a drone in more remote areas. Many of the concerns included in these comments could have been discussed during DAC meetings if there was representation,” Farm Bureau said.



Broadband Mapping Legislation Headed to President’s Desk

The House of Representatives passed the Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act (S. 1822). The bill, approved by the Senate last year, will now go to President Trump for his signature. The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.

“Reliable access to broadband is no longer a luxury but a necessity for farmers, ranchers and their rural communities. This legislation will create a more accurate National Broadband Map, which will help ensure resources are targeted to the areas that need it most. Farm Bureau thanks members of both chambers who diligently worked to pass this legislation and are committed to ensuring all Americans, including those in rural communities, have broadband in their homes, at their businesses, and on their farms.”

Background:
The DATA Act requires broadband providers to report more specific data to create a significantly more accurate and granular National Broadband Map. With more precise data, federal agencies can target funding to areas that need it most. Current broadband coverage maps are inadequate because they rely on census block data to determine which areas are covered. Census blocks are too large in rural and remote locations to accurately determine need. If even one household in a given census block is reported by a provider as being served, then the entire block is considered served. Census blocks larger than 2 square miles comprise more than 64% of the U.S. land area, so every rural area is impacted by this problem in some way.



Prices for Most Fertilizers End February Lower

Retail fertilizer prices continue to be mostly lower, according to prices tracked by DTN for the fourth week of February 2020.

Just like last week, five fertilizers were lower in price compared to last month, but none were down a considerable amount. DAP had an average price of $409 per ton, MAP $434/ton, potash $371/ton, 10-34-0 $466/ton and UAN28 $235/ton.

The remaining three fertilizers had a minor price increase, looking back to last month. Urea had an average price of $366/ton, anhydrous $490/ton and UAN32 $277/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.40/lb.N, anhydrous $0.30/lb.N, UAN28 $0.42/lb.N and UAN32 $0.43/lb.N.

Retail fertilizers are now all lower in price from a year ago. DAP is 20% lower, MAP is 19% less expensive, anhydrous is 18% lower, both UAN28 and UAN32 are 13% less expensive, urea is 9% lower, potash is 4% less expensive and 10-34-0 is 1% lower from last year at this time.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 2/28/2020

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending Feb. 28, ethanol production jumped 2.4%, or 24,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 1.079 million b/d—equivalent to 45.32 million gallons daily. The four-week average ethanol production rate ticked down 0.1% to 1.051 million b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 16.11 billion gallons.

Ethanol stocks shifted 1.0% higher to a record 25.0 million barrels. Inventories built in all regions except the East Coast (PADD 1) and Gulf Coast (PADD 3).

There were zero imports of ethanol recorded after 35,000 b/d hit the books the prior week. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of December 2019.)

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market rose 1.7% to a ten-week high of 9.186 million b/d (385.81 million gallons per day, or 140.82 bg annualized). However, refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol diverged with a 0.6% decrease to 897,000 b/d—equivalent to 13.75 bg annualized.

Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production increased to 11.75%.



USDA Dairy Products January 2020 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 1.10 billion pounds, 0.4 percent above January 2019 but 2.3 percent below December 2019. Italian type cheese production totaled 482 million pounds, 0.4 percent above January 2019 but 0.2 percent below December 2019.  American type cheese production totaled 436 million pounds, 0.7 percent below January 2019 and 4.9 percent below December 2019.  Butter production was 191 million pounds, 0.6 percent above January 2019 and
7.9 percent above December 2019.

Dry milk products (comparisons in percentage with January 2019)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 173 million pounds, up 0.3 percent.
Skim milk powder - 51.5 million pounds, up 29.5 percent.

Whey products (comparisons in percentage with January 2019)
Dry whey, total - 84.8 million pounds, up 4.4 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 87.5 million pounds, down 21.6 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 41.2 million pounds, down 4.5 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons in percentage with January 2019)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 51.7 million gallons, down 3.4 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 30.2 million gallons, down 4.2 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 2.56 million gallons, up 0.5 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 4.41 million gallons, down 14.4 percent.



Bayer to advance more sustainable agricultural solutions utilizing new innovative greenhouses in Marana, Arizona

To further its global commitment of providing growers with the most innovative, sustainable and technically-advanced agricultural solutions, Bayer has opened its new smart, state-of-the-art, automated greenhouse facility in Marana, Ariz.

The Marana Greenhouse facility is the first of its kind for the company and the most technically advanced. The approximately USD 100 million facility will serve as a global product design center for corn, the only crop to be grown there. Additionally, the Marana facility will capitalize on innovation advancements in proprietary seed chipping, advanced marker technology, automation and data science.

“With our new Marana greenhouses, Bayer is reimagining the way plant breeding is done and setting the standard for environmental sustainability,” said Bob Reiter, Head of Research and Development for Crop Science at Bayer. “Meeting the unique challenges that farmers face requires different ways of thinking and working, and this new innovative facility is one of the many ways Bayer will deliver on its commitments to farmers.”

The Marana greenhouses, which occupies 300,000 square feet of growing space, are designed for the sustainable use of inputs throughout the research process. Water used for crops will be recycled, which helps preserve precious desert water supplies, 100 percent of harvested materials will be used for compost and beneficial insects will be used to reduce pesticide applications.

By locating the Marana Greenhouse facility in the Arizona desert instead of the midwestern section of the United States where corn is traditionally grown, more days of warmth and sunlight will allow researchers to maintain plants year-round, enabling three to four corn crop cycles annually. Also, by utilizing the controlled environment of the greenhouses, the breeding process comes indoors which eliminates crop exposure to adverse weather conditions and prevents delays in new seed development. Growing conditions can be customized to simulate various climate conditions around the world.

“Every investment in innovation is an investment in more sustainable agriculture for the next generation, and the effects travel far beyond one site,” added Reiter. “The corn hybrids developed here, under diverse growing environments and weather scenarios, will bring innovation to growers in every part of the world.”